Healthcare in Asia : the innovation imperative

This report examines technical, financial and organisational innovation in Asian healthcare, assessing challenges to adoption and the potential impact of innovation on healthcare systems across Asia. It also seeks to identify best practices for governments seeking to learn from pioneers across the region. The report includes the following chapters: Innovation: From buzzword to best practice; Innovative combinations: Public, private and non-profit; Getting to the bottom: New thinking in healthcare financing; Back to basics: Innovation in medical technology; Doctor dilemmas: Innovative ways of delivering; Incubating innovation: Conclusions for government. Chapter 5, Back to basics: Innovation in medical technology includes a case study: An excrement idea, (p. 26) that tells the story of WaterSHED, an alliance of social enterprises and NGOs that strives to raise standards of water, sanitation and hygiene in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. WaterSHED has developed innovative water filters and latrines. All of them use extremely low-level technology, all made from locally available materials, but which work just as effectively as expensive products from multinational companies.